Debate continues over Jodha Bai

Who was Jodha Bai? That's the crux of the controversy that's dogging Ashutosh Gowarikar magnum opus Jodha Akbar that releases this week.

A section of the Rajput community opposing the film claims that it's historically incorrect to say that Jodha was Akbar's wife but historians themselves are divided.

Some historians say Jodhaa was Akbar's daughter-in-law, which is what school textbooks also say but others claim she was married to Akbar.

In fact she was not a Jaipur princess at all but from Jodhpur and wife of Salim or Jehangir.

They claim, the Jaipur Princess Akbar was married to, was called Harkan or Heera Bai but coming out in support of the film is none other than the royal families of Jaipur and Kishangarh.

The royal families say there is not much in a name. Akbar's consort was a Jaipur princess and Gowarikar only went ahead with the film once they cleared the script and if anybody has any objections it should be them.

While school children studying Satish Chandra 's NCERT text book are taught that Jodha Bai was the wife of Jehangir other historians claim that in fact if you look at primary sources there is no mention of the name Jodha at all.

In fact the name Jodha only crops up in the past 200 years when Col Todd in his annals and antiquities of Rajasthan writes that Jodha was probably married to Akbar. So the mystery deepens as to who was Jodha?

The Mughals came to India as invaders but it was Akbar who embraced Hindustan as his own. His marriage with the daughter of Rajput kings of Amber was a political alliance that turned the Rajputs from foes into friends.

But who was this princess who entered into the first Hindu-Muslim alliance in history?

Original records like Ain-I-Akbari and histories of the Amber kings confirm that in 1562 Akbar married Raja Bharmal's daughter at Sambhar about a 100 km from modern Jaipur but the name of this princess is far from clear.

"Our geneology, the documents of the Royal Family are the most authentic records, and in our records, different names appear. She is called Hira Bai and Harkan Bai and some historians call her Jodha. So he took the most popular name for the film," said Maharaja Brajraj Singh, Kishangarh Royal family.

But Ashutosh Gowarikar says the film should not be judged only in the context of the title but as an exploration of an inter-faith relationship.

"For me what became important was to get into the research. I read the Rajput history-some called her Harka Bai, Shahi Bai, Jodha Bai. I also read the history of Jaipur, where it mentions Uday Singh the Raja, who gave his daughter away to Jehangir but her name was Jodh. Both Jodha and Jodh are different I could have called my film Harka-Akbar or Meera-Akbar but I thought some historians might object to it so I kept the popular name," said Gowarikar.

So, how did the name Jodha become popular?

Some historians like Col Todd have called Akbar's wife Jodha and Films like Mughal-e-Azam, which picked up the name entrenched it in public memory.

But the Rajput community that's opposing the film says the time has now come to set the record straight. They claim Jodha was from Jodhpur and she was married not to Akbar but to his son Jehangir.

Prof Khangarot, Historian and spokespeson for the Rajput sabha said, "Do you have a right to make your own history or change history. Jodha Bai was the daughter of Mota Raja of Jodhpur, who wed Salim and became the mother of Shahjahan."

The Rajput Karni Sena has already started burning posters of the film. They say they won't allow it to be shown in Rajasthan. But the Jaipur royals, who support the film say Gowarikar's has depicted Rajput culture with sensitivity.

Maharani Padmini Devi, Jaipur royal family said, "We went through the script before he started the movie, the mahurat shot was taken here. We are the closest in relation to Jodha, therefore if there was anything objectionable we would have not endorsed it."

Some historians are of the opinion that the name Jodha does not figure in any original records of the time.

Infact, it is only in the past 200 years that the name begins to appear in historical narratives. So what is history?

There is no definite answer, there is recorded history and there are oral traditions, there are legends and myths. The the answers to who was Jodha probably lies in the matrix of our past.

Courtesy: Ndtvmovies.com